Welcome

Ready to build?

H4ck&Stack is a monthly challenge program for developers, security practitioners, and designers: ship substantive work, document it, and earn XP that appears on a public portfolio on this site. Submissions and voting happen here; Discord is the complement for enrollment (including /enroll), announcements, and track-specific discussion.

Join Server

Overview

How H4ck&Stack works

H4ck&Stack runs a monthly challenge cycle on a single UTC+2 calendar (fixed offset, no daylight saving time). Three tracks are offered: Developer (shipping a software project), Hacker (security outcomes such as writeups, tooling, and research), and Designer (visual deliverables, including mockups and image exports). During the build phase, participants enroll and submit work through this website. In the vote phase, signed-in members cast votes on the site (up to three votes per month, at most one per track). XP updates the public leaderboard and Discord roles tied to participation.

Primary site: h4cknstack.com.

Account and profile. Use Sign in with Discord after joining the Discord server (see Join Server above; membership is required for sign-in). Complete Profile with GitHub, bio, and related fields so your entry appears correctly on Members.

Enrollment and submissions. During the build window, select track and tier in Discord with /enroll (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced where offered). Submit work from Submit on this site. Submissions are not accepted via a Discord slash command; the workflow is web-based.

Voting. When the vote window is open, voting is done on this site. Discord is used for announcements and coordination.

GitHub activity (Discord). The /pulse command summarizes GitHub activity for the current challenge month (UTC+2), may award capped pulse XP once per month, and shows a projected month-end estimate. Link your account with /link-github if private repositories should count; use /unlink-github to remove access. Runs without qualifying activity do not grant pulse XP for that invocation.

Command reference. In Discord, /help lists commands with short descriptions (visible only to you).

Common commands: /profile, /enroll, /leaderboard, /pulse, /ticket, /link-github, /unlink-github, /delete-account (equivalent to deleting your account on the site; irreversible).

If this community fits someone you know, sharing h4cknstack.com or the Discord invite helps more builders participate each month.

Your first week

Resources

Browse free tools and resources at wiki.h4cknstack.com →

Step 1

Join the Discord server

Use Join Server above (opens Discord in a new tab). The server has channels for all three tracks.

Step 2

Set up your profile

Sign in on this site with Discord, then open Profile from your avatar menu. Add GitHub, LinkedIn, Framer website, bio, and tech stack for your public Members card. In Discord you can also run /profile for a link to the same page.

Step 3

Pick your track

🛠

Developer Track

Build a full project over the monthly build window (days 1–21). Choose a tier (Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced) and ship something real — an app, a library, a tool, anything.

Web / APICLI & toolingLibrary / packageAutomation
View challenges →
🔒

Hacker Track

Same monthly calendar as the developer track. Submit CTF writeups, build security tools, research vulnerabilities, or run red team simulations — all on the same build, vote, and publish rhythm.

CTF WriteupTool BuildVuln ResearchRed Team
View challenges →

Designer Challenge

Create posters, brand kits, UI mockups, or motion graphics. Submit a PNG, JPG, or WebP image export — show your visual thinking, not just your tools.

PosterBrand IdentityUI MockupMotion Graphic
View challenges →

Step 4

Submit your work

Sign in on the site and go to Submit via your avatar menu. Fill in your repo link, optional demo URL, and optional writeup or attachment. You can edit your submission any time before day 21 (UTC+2). Designers upload a PNG, JPG, or WebP image directly from the submit page — no GitHub repo needed.

Step 5

Vote and earn XP

During the vote window (days 22–25 UTC+2), use the vote banner on the Challenges page, or open Vote from your avatar menu. You have 3 votes per month (1 per track). Votes on your project earn you XP.

Server roles

(roles assigned automatically after you complete onboarding in Discord)

Builder

Submitted at least one project

Hacker

Submitted a hacker track entry

Veteran

3+ months active

Admin

Community team

Bot reference (Discord commands)

Quick command list for members after onboarding.

  • /help

    Shows the current Discord bot commands and what each one does.

  • /profile

    After signing in with Discord, complete your profile (bio, GitHub, LinkedIn, tech stack) for your public Members card. The bot links you to h4cknstack.com/profile so you can appear on Members.

  • /enroll

    Pick a monthly challenge (track + tier) before you can submit. Open during the build window (days 1–21 UTC+2).

  • /pulse

    Awards this month’s GitHub activity XP once per month and shows a month-end estimate.

  • /leaderboard

    Shows top builders by points for the current month in Discord.

  • /ticket

    Anonymous bugs and website feedback — opens a short form in Discord; maintainers get one DM from the bot (no username attached).